Combination invalid&#39;s chair and safety belt



Jan. 17, 1967 F. v. SHELTON COMBINATION INVALID'S CHAIR AND SAFETY BELT Filed Aug. 24, 1965 INVENTOR EQEMR/c/r 1. 671154 ra/v Arron/6) United States Patent Ofiice 3,298,740 Patented Jan. 17, 1967 3,298,740 COMBINATION INVALIDS CHAIR AND SAFETY BELT Frederick V. Shelton, 11200 Elm St., Lynwood, Calif. 90262 Filed Aug. 24, 1965, Ser. No. 482,099 4 Claims. (Cl. 297-385) This invention relates to invalids chairs such as wheel chairs and the like, and has as its general object to provide an improved combination of such a chair and a safety belt which will reliably secure an occupant such as an invalid in the chair, protecting him from leaving the chair either accidentally or voluntarily. To the attainment of this general object, the invention provides a combination of an invalids chair and safety belt:

(1) Adapted to secure an incapacitated person (either physically disabled or mentally deficient) in the chair in a manner such as to hold him against either falling or climbing out of the chair, and such as to prevent him from releasing himself from the strap;

(2) Wherein the safety belt is adapted to be anchored and released rapidly and easily by an attendant;

(3) wherein the chair embodies one or more spurs projecting rearwardly from the back of the chair below the seat level, and wherein the safety belt has at least one end thereof attached to one of the spurs so as to provide an anchorage that cannot be reached by the occupant of the chair.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the ensuing specification and appended drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wheel chair with safety strap embodying one form of my invention, an occupant being shown in phantom;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of the same;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view thereof, taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of a modified form of the invention, looking obliquely downwardly and forwardly from directly behind the chair; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIG. 4.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, and in particular to FIGS. 1-3 thereof, I have shown therein, as an example of one form in which the invention may be embodied, a safety belt A and a wheel chair B of a wellknown folding type, to which the belt A is adapted to be readily attached and detached in an arrangement including a medial body loop passing around the body of an occupant C, and ends anchored to the lower rear extremities of the chair frame, behind its back, where such ends are completely inaccessible to the occupant.

The belt A comprises a strap body and a pair of end loops 11 and 12, at least one of which embodies a takeup slide 13 by means of which the length of the respective loop can be adjusted.

The wheel chair B comprises a pair of drive wheels 15 having respective hubs journalled on stub axles secured to vertical rear legs 16 of a frame having a pair of laterally spaced rails 17 the rear ends of which are extended beyond the legs 16 to provide a pair of spurs 18. A flexible back rest pad 19 is secured by screws 20 to back frame bars 21 formed as upward extensions of legs 16, the bars 21 terminating in handles 22. A seat 23, indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 2, is flanked by vertical side panels 24 extending between and attached to the back bars 21 and a pair of foot-rest bars 25. Arm rests 26 are connected between back bars 21 and the upper ends of foot-rest bars 25. The chair shown is a foldable type which is well known. The foldable features are not important in the present invention, and are not illustrated. The rearward ends of side panels 24 (FIG. 5) have inwardly-bent flanges 26 which are secured between the side marginal portions of back rest 19 and back bars 21 by the fastener screws 20.

The belt A, when installed, has a body loop 30 which is provided by the intermediate portion of strap 10 and is extended around the waist of the occupant C, securing his torso against the back rest 19. The lateral portions of loop 30 extend through the lower rear corners of rectangular spaces that are defined between arm rests 26 and side panels 24. In FIGS. 1-3 these lateral portions are drawn downwardly at 31 across the upper edges of side panels 24 adjacent the back bars 21 and are continued in end portions 32 which extend diagonally downwardly behind the back of the chair in crossed relation, each crossing over from one side of the chair to the other and terminating in a respective end loop 11 or 12, anchored to a respective spur 18. When both loops 11 and 12 are attached, the belt is drawn tight by adjusting one of the slides 13 upwardly along its respective strap portion 32, thus placing the lateral portions 31 of loop 30 under tension and drawing the loop 30 snugly around the occupants waist.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, one side of the body loop 30 terminates in a permanent anchorage 131 to a back bar 21, the other side being extended beneath an arm rest 26 and downwardly at 31 over the upper edge of the associated side panel 24, and terminating in a downwardly and laterally inclined end portion 32, attached to a spur 15 by an adjustable end loop 11, the same as in FIGS. 1-3.

In the preferred form of the invention, both ends of the belt A are readily attachable and detachable by slipping the respective loops 11, 12 forwardly onto or rearwardly off of the spurs 18, although an attendant may prefer to leave one end attached and to release a patient by detaching only one end of the belt, pulling it through the space beneath the one arm rest, removing it from in front of the occupants waist, and draping it over the other arm rest.

In the modified form of the invention, the permanent anchorage 131 is made by loosening a corner of a panel 24, forcing a bound end 35 of the belt between the panel 24 and the opposed side surface of back bar 21, thence around the bar 21 and between it and the flange 26, then folding it outwardly around the edge of flange 26 and between the flange and the opposed marginal portion of back rest 19, and then drawing the bound end 35 against the margin of back rest 19, pressing the latter forwardly against the bar 21, and then reinserting the screw 20 to clamp the folded end portion of the strap between the bar 21, the fiange 26 and the back rest 19.

The belt A1 of FIGS. 4, 5 is attached and released by means of the single adjustable loop 11.

I claim:

1. In combination: an inv-alids chair including a back, a seat and a frame having a pair of spurs projecting rearwardly behind the back and below the seat level, and a safety belt including an intermediate portion looped forwardly of said back and above said seat and around the sides of said back to provide a patient-restraining body loop, and an end portion extending obliquely downwardly and laterally behind said back, crossing from one side to the other and terminating in an end loop which is looped over one of said spurs and thereby anchored, and means for anchoring the other end of the belt to the chair with a connection which cannot be released by the chair occupant.

2. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein said loop includes means for adjusting its length for tightening the belt.

3. The combination defined in claim 2, wherein said belt has respective end portions both extending obliquely downwardly from side to side in crossed relation behind said back, and terminating in respective loops attachable to respective spurs, at least one of said loops including means for adjusting its length.

4. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein said means for anchoring the other end of the belt comprises a folded end portion of the belt, said chair including a vertical back bar, a side panel having a rear end portion overlapping the outer side of said bar and terminating in a flange bent laterally and inwardly behind said bar, a back panel overlapping the rear side of said back bar, and a fastener extending through said back panel and secured in said back bar and clamping said folded end portion of the belt between said back panel and said flange and between said flange and said back bar, said belt extending from said folded portion around the outer side of said back bar and between the same and said side panel and thence forwardly into said body loop.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

JAMES T. MCCALL, Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION: AN INVALID''S CHAIR INCLUDING A BACK, A SEAT AND A FRAME HAVING A PAIR OF SPURS PROJECTING REARWARDLY BEHIND THE BACK AND BELOW THE SEAT LEVEL, AND A SAFETY BELT INCLUDING AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION LOOPED FORWARDLY OF SAID BACK AND ABOVE SAID SEAT AND AROUND THE SIDES OF SAID BACK TO PROVIDE A PATIENT-RESTRAINING BODY LOOP, AND AN END PORTION EXTENDING OBLIQUELY DOWNWARDLY AND LATERALLY BEHIND SAID BACK, CROSSING FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER AND TERMINATING IN AN END LOOP WHICH IS LOOPED OVER ONE OF SAID SPURS AND THEREBY ANCHORED, AND MEANS FOR ANCHORING THE OTHER END OF THE BELT TO THE CHAIR WITH A CONNECTION WHICH CANNOT BE RELEASED BY THE CHAIR OCCUPANT. 